Former Celtics champion makes bold claim: ‘I was probably the best pure scorer in the history of the NBA’

Among the NBA‘s greatest scorers are multiple champions — and one of them, a former Boston Celtics star, made sure his name wasn’t left out after hearing what LeBron James had to say about Kevin Durant. He didn’t hold back, claiming a spot among the league’s all-time best.

The player in question is Paul Pierce, who called himself the best pure scorer in NBA history after hearing LeBron describe Durant as the “most equipped” scorer the league has ever seen.

“I was probably the best pure scorer in the history of the NBA,” Pierce said during an appearance on Speak on FS1. He also pushed back on LeBron’s praise of Durant, adding: “I shot more best shots than Kevin.”

Fans Back Pierce

Reaction to Pierce’s bold statement was largely supportive. Many agreed that the Celtics champion deserves to be mentioned alongside the likes of Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Kobe Bryant.

“I know Paul Pierce is going to get a little backlash, but he is not wrong. He constantly gets overlooked as one of the elite players of his generation. Nothing was missing in his bag. Had all the tools!” one fan wrote on X.

Another NBA fan — not even a Celtics supporter — chimed in: “I hate the Celtics, but Paul Pierce was a hooper. People coming at him with the disrespect clearly don’t understand basketball the way they think they do.”

Pierce’s Best Scoring Season

Pierce’s best scoring season came in 2005-06 when he averaged 26.8 points per game — one of two seasons where he hit that mark. In 2001-02, his fourth year with the Celtics, he put up 26.1 points per game. He finished his career with an average of 19.7 points.